“Grass is greener on the other side”, is the idiom used when you feel that other people seem to be in a better situation than you, although they may not be. Surprisingly, the same goes for travelers. It might look sexy to the people who don’t regularly travel but little do they know the toll it takes on the traveler’s health – both body and mind.

Maintaining healthy habits can be very difficult for professionals who often travel. Getting access to healthy and nutritious food like home-cooked meals is very challenging.

Long-term travel can damage our health if proper care is not taken. Our natural rhythm is thrown out of balance, thanks to eating out unhealthy food regularly.

If you are on a work trip or a fun trip, the key to keeping yourself healthy is taking some preventive measures.

We at top5listicle have curated a list of travel-tips to keep you safe and healthy while traveling whether staying close or traveling abroad.

Roadways or airways, you need to keep yourself safe.

Tips to stay healthy while travelling for Work

1. Get that much required Sleep

Everyone knows how important sleep can be while travelling. Your body needs rest while travelling be it crossing time zones, travel to and fro the hotel and airport, carrying luggage, walking all day, sleep is inevitable. Although your heart says not to rest and get working, but your body says otherwise.

Not having enough sleep can hinder cognitive abilities. It will affect your ability to process information in your brain.

Some common examples of having a brain fog or memory issues are: not able to remember your hotel’s location, losing your luggage, etc.

Traveling is harsh on the body and to enjoy the next few days of the travel, you need to listen to it and be well-rested.

2. Watch what you eat and drink

When you visit any restaurant, try to order dishes which are non-fatty and less spicy. Stick to healthier options like salads, healthy grains.

It is no brainer that people often fall sick when they eat something out of their comfort zone. It might suit some and might not suit few. So,

 if you don’t want your health to play a spoil sport while travelling, sticking to healthy food items is the answer.

Some tips to eat healthy when traveling:

1. Carry a bag of assorted nuts
2. If going on long-term travel, opt for service apartments so you can cook your own food.
3. Try buying fresh local produce and cook your own meal
4. Do your homework before a trip. Lookout for healthy restaurants, salad bars, etc so you will not waste time searching for healthy food later.
5. Pack healthy snacks

3. Stick with a routine and discipline

Traveling can be stressful. For your body to stay in balance, follow a routine that you can easily follow.

Sleep and wake up at the same time everyday, eat at the same time, maintain a work-life balance even while traveling.

Routines help with anxiety since it gives you a predictable day.

4. Walk as much as possible

Walking is one of the best exercises available to keep you stress and anxiety free apart from keeping you fit.

Due to the pressure of completing tasks within deadlines, most professionals forget about health and opt for cabs and other modes of transport to commute to their offices.

Instead try booking a hotel which is at a walkable distance so you can walk back to the hotel after leaving work.

Bonus Tip: Take short strolls in your corridor or around your building whenever possible. This will not just help you stay fit but also helps you enjoy the fresh air.

5. Wash your hands very often

When you are traveling, make sure you wash your hands as often as possible to get rid of germs and bacteria. With many new contagious diseases lurking around the corner, it is always better to wash your hands often. For example, staying at a hotel, you might be touching things that the previous travelers would have touched, and this means you are touching unknown germs – harmful or harmless. Hence, to be on the safer side, keep washing your hands or keep wet wipes handy when going out.

6. Stay Hydrated

This tip should have come at the beginning, but nevertheless staying hydrated is one tip that is indispensable. While traveling on an airplane, the altitude you will be at is above 36000 feet due to which the humidity levels are way too low, i.e about 10-20% equivalent to walking in a desert. So, dehydration is natural while flying.

Bonus Tip: Avoid sugary drinks, caffeine and alcohol on flights. They dehydrate.

7. Eat Probiotics

Probiotics are filled with numerous benefits. Yogurt is one of the best examples of probiotics. Fermented food can boost your immune system along with keeping your digestive system healthy.

Check out the benefits of fermentation here.

[Source : Top benefits of Fermented food]

It is quite natural to have digestion related problems like traveler’s diarrhea, bloating, constipation while traveling due to change in demography, shift in time zone etc.

Yogurt can help with that.

In India, it is quite common to end any meal with curd rice or plain yogurt rice for the same reason.

8. Exercise in your Hotel Room or Hit the gym at your Hotel

Although you are traveling for work, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a must to function properly. To cater to these requirements, almost every hotel has a gym. So, use it to the fullest.

If you are not a gym person, you can always use your hotel room to do some simple stretches and exercises.

Sit ups, jumping jacks, lunges, squats are evergreen exercises that can keep you fit.

Want to work out at desk?

Check out this video.

9. Limit alcohol consumption

Hangovers are no fun. So, try to keep alcohol at a minimum and if possible avoid it.

Once you have an alcoholic drink, it takes 30-60 minutes to kick in and show its maximum effect. As alcohol travels through your blood, it reaches brain, thus making it foggy. Your ability to think are impacted which is not cool.

It also increases the flow of liquid through your kidneys, which makes you dehydrated.

Takeaway

It is indeed possible to stay healthy while you travel of course, with a little bit of effort from your side. Pre-plan everything before you leave so you can be stress-free while you travel.

Follow the above simple tips and stay healthy!

Share your true secret confessions and travel stories here!

Happy travels!